Faronics Corporation is a privately held software company with offices in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Pleasanton, California Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the Amador Valley, it is a suburb in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 79,871 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. In 200 ...

, United States, Singapore and

Bracknell Bracknell () is a large town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the Bracknell Forest, Borough of Bracknell Forest. It l ...

, UK. Faronics develops computer

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

for multi-user IT environments. Faronics products are predominantly used in educational institutions, libraries, healthcare facilities, and government agencies.

History

Faronics was founded in 1993 by Farid Ali, the company's present CEO, and was incorporated in 1996. Faronics first sold computer hardware and shifted to software in 1999 with the advent of Deep Freeze, a

kernel Kernel may refer to: Computing * Kernel (operating system), the central component of most operating systems * Kernel (image processing), a matrix used for image convolution * Compute kernel, in GPGPU programming * Kernel method, in machine learnin ...

-level software utility that instantly restores a computer back to its original configuration with every

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

. Deep Freeze has since-garnered a strong presence in

K-12 education K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

and is now part of Faronics "Layered Security" suite of products.

Products

Faronics develops nine software products which run on

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

and

Mac OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...

operating systems:

Deep Freeze

A software utility, released in 1999, that restores a computer back to its original configuration each time the computer restarts. Deep Freeze comes in two versions for Windows (''Standard'' for standalone computers and ''Enterprise'' for networked computers) and a version for Mac OS X (a version for

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop SUSE Linux Enterprise (often abbreviated to SLE) is a Linux-based operating system developed by SUSE. It is available in two editions, suffixed with Server (SLES) for servers and mainframes, and Desktop (SLED) for workstations and desktop compu ...

(SLED) by Novell was discontinued in 2010). Deep Freeze for Windows can be managed remotely via its Enterprise Console or via Faronics Core. Deep Freeze Mac can be centrally-managed in multiple computer settings via

Apple Remote Desktop Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) is a Macintosh application produced by Apple Inc., first released on March 14, 2002, that replaced a similar product called ''Apple Network Assistant''. Aimed at computer administrators responsible for large numbers of ...

. Deep Freeze is a kernel-level driver that runs at a low system level to protect drive integrity. Running at this low system level allows the driver to redirect information which is being written to the drive, leaving the original data intact. This redirected information is no longer referenced once the computer is restarted, thus restoring the system to its original state at the

disk sector In computer disk storage, a sector is a subdivision of a track on a magnetic disk or optical disc. Each sector stores a fixed amount of user-accessible data, traditionally 512 bytes for hard disk drives (HDDs) and 2048 bytes for CD-ROMs and D ...

level. To the computer user, the computing experience is unaffected when Deep Freeze is active. For Deep Freeze to protect a computer's configuration, a computer must have its

BIOS In computing, BIOS (, ; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization during the ...

password A password, sometimes called a passcode (for example in Apple devices), is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of ...

-protected and have its

hard disk A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnet ...

as the first

boot device In computing, booting is the process of starting a computer as initiated via hardware such as a button or by a software command. After it is switched on, a computer's central processing unit (CPU) has no software in its main memory, so so ...

Anti-Executable

Originally released in 2005 as FreezeX, Anti-Executable is an application whitelisting software that, when first installed, creates a "

whitelist A whitelist, allowlist, or passlist is a mechanism which explicitly allows some identified entities to access a particular privilege, service, mobility, or recognition i.e. it is a list of things allowed when everything is denied by default. It is ...

" of executable files which exists on a computer. When Anti-Executable is active, unwanted executables which do not appear on the whitelist will not run. Anti-Executable comes in two versions for Windows (Standard for standalone computers and Enterprise for networked computers). Anti-Executable Enterprise can be managed remotely via Faronics Core.

Faronics Anti-Virus

Released in 2010, this

anti-virus software Antivirus software (abbreviated to AV software), also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware. Antivirus software was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the name. ...

for Windows combines anti-virus, anti-

spyware Spyware (a portmanteau for spying software) is software with malicious behaviour that aims to gather information about a person or organization and send it to another entity in a way that harms the user—for example, by violating their privac ...

and anti-

rootkit A rootkit is a collection of computer software, typically malicious, designed to enable access to a computer or an area of its software that is not otherwise allowed (for example, to an unauthorized user) and often masks its existence or the exis ...

technologies. Faronics Anti-Virus works with Deep Freeze so that program updates can be performed without turning Deep Freeze protection off. Faronics Anti-Virus is managed remotely via Faronics Core.

Power Save

Released in 2007, Power Save provides

PC power management PC power management refers to software-based mechanisms for controlling the power use of Personal computer hardware. This is typically achieved through software that puts the hardware into the lowest power demand state available, making it an as ...

to aid in

green computing Green computing, green IT, or ICT sustainability, is the study and practice of environmentally sustainable computing or IT. The goals of green computing are similar to green chemistry: reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy effici ...

initiatives and to help reduce power expenses. Power Save monitors computer activity to avoid interfering with computers in use and produces reports which show power consumption savings. Power Save comes in versions for Windows and Mac OS X. Power Save for Windows can be managed remotely via Faronics Core. Power Save Mac can be monitored remotely via Faronics Core and centrally-managed via

WINSelect

Released in 1997, WINSelect is a

user environment management User environment management (also abbreviated to UEM) is the management of a computer user's experience within their desktop environment. The user environment In a modern workplace an organisation grants each user access to an operating system and ...

software that allows IT administrators to customize the operating system and application functionality of computers in public access, kiosk, library, educational, and corporate environments. WINSelect comes in two versions for Windows (Standard for standalone computers and Enterprise for networked computers). WINSelect Enterprise is managed remotely via Faronics Core.

System Profiler

System Profiler is an

IT asset management Data center management is the collection of tasks performed by those responsible for managing ongoing operation of a data center This includes ''Business service management'' and planning for the future. Historically, ''data center management'' wa ...

software that can generate a detailed inventory of a computer workstation's hardware configuration and software installed in both a summary or report format. System Profiler comes in two versions for Windows (Standard for standalone computers and Enterprise for networked computers). System Profiler Enterprise is managed remotely via Faronics Core.

Faronics Core

A management tool, released in 2008, that centrally administers computer workstation deployments of certain Faronics software products. Faronics Core utilizes MMC3 (Microsoft Management Console) technology which can create customized groups of computer workstations, schedule software-related tasks, and create reports. Faronics Core manages Faronics Anti-Virus, the Enterprise versions of WINSelect, Anti-Executable, and System Profiler, and the Windows editions of Deep Freeze and Power Save. Computers with Power Save Mac installed can be monitored by Faronics Core for reporting purposes.

Device Filter Mac

A software security utility, released in 2007, that regulates peripheral devices connecting to Mac OS X desktop computers to prevent unauthorized data transfers or connections. Device Filter Mac can be centrally-managed in multiple computer settings via

Awards

2011
Government Computer News - 2011 Best of FOSE Award: Security Software - Deep Freeze
2010
Technology & Learning - 2010 Awards of Excellence, Best Upgrade - Deep Freeze, Power Save & Faronics Insight
2009
Technology & Learning - 2009 Awards of Excellence, Best Upgrade - Anti-Executable, Power Save & WINSelect
Scholastic Administer@tor – Best in Tech for Network Security, 2009 – WINSelect.
2008
District Administration – Readers' Choice Top 100 Products of 2008 – Deep Freeze.
Technology & Learning – 2008 Awards of Excellence, Faronics Insight and Deep Freeze (Legacy Winner).
2007
Technology & Learning – 2007 Awards of Excellence, Legacy Winner – Deep Freeze.
2006
Macworld – 22nd Annual Editors' Choice Awards – Deep Freeze Mac.
Technology & Learning – 2006 Awards of Excellence, Legacy Winner – Deep Freeze.
eSchool News – Readers’ Choice Awards 2006 Winner, Network and Administration Software – Deep Freeze (Windows & Mac).
2005
Media and Methods Magazine – Awards Portfolio 2005 Winner, Computer Security – Deep Freeze Enterprise.
2004
Technology & Learning – 2004 Awards of Excellence – Deep Freeze Enterprise.
2003
Technology & Learning – 2003 Awards of Excellence, Management and Security – Deep Freeze Professional.

Affiliations and memberships

Faronics has been recognized by

Energy Star Energy Star (trademarked ''ENERGY STAR'') is a program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that promotes energy efficiency. The program provides information on the energy consumption of pro ...

and the

Climate Savers Computing Initiative The Climate Savers Computing Initiative was a nonprofit group of consumers, businesses and conservation organizations dedicated to promoting smart technologies that improve power efficiency and reduce energy consumption of computers. Formed in 2007 ...

, the

LANDesk Ivanti () is an IT software company headquartered in South Jordan, Utah, United States. It produces software for IT Security, IT Service Management, IT Asset Management, Unified Endpoint Management, Identity Management and Supply Chain Manageme ...

Solutions Alliance and is a

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

Gold Certified Partner. Faronics is also a member of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE),

EDUCAUSE Educause is a nonprofit association in the United States whose mission is "to advance higher education through the use of information technology". Membership is open to institutions of higher education, corporations serving the higher education in ...

British Columbia Technology Industry Association The BC Tech Association (BC Tech), formally the British Columbia Technology Industry Association (BCTIA), is a not-for-profit member-funded trade association in British Columbia, Canada, which promotes the technology industry in the province. The ...

(BCTIA), the

Consortium for School Networking The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is a member-based association and advocacy group based in Washington, DC, United States, that promotes partnerships and awareness of emerging technologies amongst technology decision-makers in K-12 educ ...

(CoSN) and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA).

References

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External links

* * {{Official website, www.faronics.com/fr 1996 establishments in British Columbia Software companies of Canada Companies based in Vancouver